The 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today we celebrate the Lord’s Day! This is a day of great rejoicing as we recall the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ which had occurred on this, the first day of the week. We mark the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time and hear from the Gospel of Saint Mark the words of Jesus, “
For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Yes, the Lord Jesus calls all of us to follow Him in service and also reminds us that in following Him we will find suffering.
Being faithful to Christ will bring us to difficult places and positions. It will cause us to be at odds with many and to find ourselves out of step with others who choose not to follow Him. By making the decision to follow Christ we are committing ourselves to living differently from many of our neighbors and friends. Our decision to believe beckons us each day to pick up our cross and walk behind the Crucified. Our decision to believe affects our way of life and the choices we make. This can be difficult and sometimes painful.

One of the choices I pray every Catholic makes is to be an active member of Christ’s Church. Unfortunately some make the choice that this is not very important. Every pastor/priest is asked on a regular basis to provide a CERTIFICATE OF ELIGIBILITY so that someone may serve as a sponsor for a baptism or confirmation in another Catholic parish. This request is made so that the pastor may be assured that the person being presented is an active member of Christ’s Church. This means that the person is a registered member of a Catholic parish, attends Holy Mass regularly, approaches the sacraments frequently and financially supports the Church. Canon Law states that only such a person is appropriate as a sponsor at such a sacred moment in an individual’s life. When such conditions are not present than the request for a certificate of eligibility to serve as a sponsor is denied. For to issue this certificate would be a lie and a shame.

As pastor, I appeal to all those who have not registered with our parish to do so. I want you to be part of our wonderful family. The process is painless and only involves the filling out of a simple registration form. With that completed we enroll you in the Sunday offering envelope system that provides you with weekly envelopes for you to support the Lord’s Church in gratitude for the many blessings He has bestowed upon you. This system later provides you with the documentation you need when filling out your income tax information so that you can benefit from your tax deductable offerings. I will be happy to discuss this with you should you like to make an appointment with me.

Many thanks to Michele Shaffer who prepared our young people for the Confirmation celebration last Sunday, as well as to the Sacred Heart Women’s Society who provided hospitality in the rectory following the Mass for the Bishop and priests.

Also, many thanks to Sister Marie, the school staff, teachers and students who worked to make Friday’s 50
th Anniversary School Mass such a wonderful event. Our gratitude to Greg Weber for the work done on the parish property to make it look so beautiful!
Finally, the new green vestment for the Holy Mass was donated in memory of the deceased members of the Barker, Kutasinski, Perzan, and Corelli Families. The offering is from Mr. and Mrs. Michael Barker and Family. We thank them for their generosity.